The word Guerrilla confronts us nowadays in surprising contexts and peculiar constellations. Its trendiness makes it an attractive label for ideas and beliefs that hope to profit from the word’s appeal. Originating in war theory, the term refers primarily to the tactical level and denotes asymmetrical warfare in which a powerless body advances irregularly against a stronger opponent. In addition to its military connotations, the word also carries an ideological and mythological weight, evoked moThe word Guerrilla confronts us nowadays in surprising contexts and peculiar constellations. Its trendiness makes it an attractive label for ideas and beliefs that hope to profit from the word’s appeal. Originating in war theory, the term refers primarily to the tactical level and denotes asymmetrical warfare in which a powerless body advances irregularly against a stronger opponent. In addition to its military connotations, the word also carries an ideological and mythological weight, evoked most succinctly by the successful Guerrillas who fought under the cloak of Communism. The Guerrilla fundamentally represents the struggle for a weaker, alternative idea or for the liberation from extant structures or beliefs. The concept suits conflictual processes of urban development surprisingly well. Besides activist citizen initiatives and elements of cultural intervention in urban space, we can also compare a temporary use’s “battle” to secure its continuation with the tactical approach and strategic goals of a Guerilla. Though the original military methods have been extracted from their original context, we can still recognize the irregularity characteristic of Guerrillas in the communication strategy and capacity for cooperation of today’s Guerrilleros. Irregular communication serves both to grab attention as well as to disrupt the recipient’s usual perception of things, urging him or her to reflect on new ideas and ultimately support them. By engaging in tactical cooperation, weaker Guerrilleros can compensate for any paucity of resources and gain strength in numbers. Today’s concept of Guerrilla cannot be separated from the individuals behind it, who either hope to profit from the word’s connotative glamour or to imbue their conflict with a special quality. Irregular lines of action, now so often dubbed Guerrilla, are in fact nothing new. Systemic changes require external impetus, and they demand commensurate adaptation or adequate anti-Guerrilla methods of those in power. An alternative demonstrated in an irregular way can be integrated into extant systems and bear fruit there. Numerous alternative ideas, originally considered unconventional or even crazy, have been absorbed as typical practice, for instance in urban planning. Online-Version published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin (www.univerlag.tu-berlin.de).…